Good jeans

Although situated in the suburbs, chic boutique Urban Chic offers some of the best indie designers on the racks today. Rebecca Taylor (jacket, shown, $389), Tocca, Ella Moss, Theory, Shoshanna, Trina Turk, 15 brands of designer jeans including Citizens, Sevens, Earnest Sewn, Joe’s and low-slung favorites Frankie B. (making a comeback with, among others, “Picnic” shown above, $196) line the walls. An impressive store with a friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff, it’s sure to follow the success of the Georgetown store, which has been selling to Washington style sirens for years. 8180 Maple Lawn Road, Fulton, 301-490-9952.

House Beautiful

Belle Cose is Italian for beautiful things and that’s just what you’ll find at this new consignment and gift shop in Timonium. The front entrance of the store displays sweet decorative items like jewelry, both new and vintage, monogrammed clogs, adorable hand towels, and custom furniture. The warehouse, in the back of the space, features new and used finds like china, secretaries, cabinets, rare prints, mirrors and more. Special features, like antiques from Eastern Europe, a full design service and monogramming for linens and furnishings, make this consignment shop one-of-a-kind. Owner Cecilia Bell asks that items for consignment be of good quality—she likes her customers to enjoy their buys without refurbishing—and takes a third of the price. Call for an appointment to consign, but breeze in to browse. 1933 Greenspring Drive, Timonium, 410-308-4885.

Soupey Sales

Rose Lansing, of Rose’s Cookies, and Cynthia Shea, a former chef of renowned San Francisco eatery Zuni Café, have opened Soup’s On, a new lunch spot on the Avenue in Hampden. “I can make two soups perfectly, every day,” Shea says about her concept to keep the menu small and do it right. The offerings include a few soups along with salads, cookies and chicken pot pie. Shea was encouraged by friends to open a restaurant but didn’t want to take on a full service establishment, so she keeps the doors open for lunch only and carryout. Shea and Lansing also offer catering and will design menus (not just soup) to suit clients’ needs. 842 W. 36th Street, 410-235-9801

Shabby Chic

New Belvedere Square interiors store The House Downtown blends flea market chic with high-end luxury in a mix of antiques, antique reproductions, custom upholstered sofas, chairs and more. Prices range from $300 for a solid wood nightstand to $3,000 for an oversized hutch and buffet. Clocks, wall hangings, lamps, like the chocolate ceramic and toile one, shown, and other home accessories with a French country feel also share the 4,000 square foot space. Inexpensive everyday indulgences including stationary, lotions, candles and sachets add to the store’s warm approachability. This store, which carries Lee, Pine Cone Hill, Bella Note and other name brands, is twice the size of the original in Havre de Grace and takes the space formerly occupied by children’s store Raw Sugar, which will move across the street.524 E. Belvedere Ave., 410-939-1600

Vintage Advantage

High-end consignment shop LaJeans Boutique sells the designer castoffs of fashion forward trenderellas who have moved on to the next It thing. Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags, Prada shoes, a Christian Dior Couture fur, Burberry skirts and blouses are yours for the charging, along with a private line of chocolates, lingerie, candles and soaps. The vintage shop, in an adorable townhouse on the corner of Ann and Fleet Streets in Fells Point, consigns for half the sale price and is very selective. Merchandise must be in good condition. It shows. Most of the items are like new. LaJeans Boutique, 535 South Ann Street, 410-522-2113

Fresh Moves

Fashionable favorite Fresh Boutique is moving to Green Spring Station. Formerly housed in a bungalow on York Road between Ridgely and Timonium Roads, Fresh is the latest boutique to join the ranks at the center’s gatehouse. The closing of jeweler Dahne & Weinstein last summer freed up space for several new shops, including women’s clothing store Barry Bricken, new jeweler Bijoux and now Fresh. The boutique carries designer jeans, Betsey Johnson designs, Phoebe by Kay Unger, Sherry Wolf handbags and Feng Shui, among others. The children store Hush, which shared its space with Fresh, will close its doors. Green Spring Station, 10749 Falls Rd., 443-901-0097.

Get Spa-cific

Owners Denise Silver and Elaine Rogers launched their new spa at Inner Harbor East in January. A Japanese waterfall welcomes guests at the door and sets the tone for radical relaxation. Spa Sante’s roomy space is dedicated to holistic beauty care and the concept of intelligent aging. Featuring a nail bar, eight treatment rooms (one room dedicated to couples who want to partner for Swedish massage—$160), his and hers relaxation lounges, locker rooms complete with sauna, and a VIP suite, the spa caters to both sexes. In addition to Japanese stone massage ($110), designer facials (custom facial $85) and body wraps (the wild cherry and clay body mask is $95), Sante offers Botox Cosmetic treatment, Restylane, Microdermabrasion and Endermologie cellulite therapy. 1429 Aliceanna Street, Suite 100, (410) 534-0009.

To Do List Tackled

The blind that’s been in a dead heap on your office floor for six months… the sad, old chest of drawers that could use a coat of paint…the stained throw rug that needs replacing…when does anyone have time to get the job done? Wendy Reyes and Lesley Cronin to the rescue—call them the home makeover mavens of the mid-Atlantic. Last fall, the two began Spruce, a home interior fix-it-up company. For $125 an hour the duo gets to the details that you sweep under the rug. One-part decorators, one-part handywomen, the team accessorizes, scours the internet or flea markets for furniture, orders fabric—you name it—and brings fresh eyes to any project. They are a procrastinator’s—or an overworked mom’s—dream. , 443-253-3883.